A South African ID book and driver's license. Picture: Gallo Images/Nicolene Olckers
In an attempt to solve the driver’s licence renewal backlog in Gauteng, the department of roads and transport may have made the system more complicated.
On Tuesday, the Gauteng transport department announced the launch of the request-a-slot campaign.
However, experts said that instead of implementing technological solutions, the department should fix the system entirely.
Automobile Association (AA) spokesperson Layton Beard said they were not sure if the requesta-slot online process was going to solve the problem, or ease the pressure, but that the whole system required change.
“Everything the minister announced on Friday in terms of new IT infrastructure, new machines and equipment, longer hours, online payments and submission of eye tests by optometrists are the type of things we are looking at,” he said.
“The eNaTIS system at the moment is slow and sometimes it’s even offline, which is a base problem and needs to be rectified.” MEC Jacob Mamabolo and the Road Traffic Management Corporation said they would introduce a request-a-slot app and e-mails to use as booking platforms.
The MEC said people would be able to book via e-mail and the request-a-slot app, which would be launched today, as an alternative to the eNaTIS website system.
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Driving.co.za managing director Rob Handfield-Jones said the government had been trying to implement technological solutions which it was not competent to implement. It should go back to what had worked.
“What worked was just letting people walk into testing stations on a first come, first served basis and it worked for 17 years,” he said.
“Everything the government has tried from a technological point of view hasn’t worked.”
He said the whole licensing system from top to bottom was a story of corruption.
“You can buy a licence, you can buy a slot, there really isn’t anything in road safety in SA that you can’t buy and that is a problem that they need to fix.”
Mamabolo said more sites would be opened for renewal of driver’s and learner’s licences and operating hours extended.
He also confirmed that centres would operate seven days a week from 7am to 9pm.
– reitumetsem@citizen.co.za
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